First Time’s a Charm: Farouk’s Julián Macías Chats About His NAHA Nominations

It takes a lot of talent—and even more courage—to enter a hair competition for the first time. Taking that leap can be difficult, but as one young artist proves, it can certainly pay off. 26-year-old Julián Macías, Educator, Artist and Trainer for Farouk Systems, entered NAHA this year for the first time ever, and he received a nomination in not one but two categories—Avant Garde and Texture. When we sat down with Julián to talk about his work, we learned that his amazing drive and incredible talent are quickly catapulting him into industry superstardom.

BTC: Why did you decide to enter NAHA?Julián: My good friend and also my photographer, Sergio Castro, is half responsible for my NAHA entry. He is so creative, and when I told him about NAHA he just said ‘Let’s do it!’ I had that inner voice that told me, ‘you can do it’ so I went for it!

BTC: Why is it important for you to compete?Julián: First to share my art and point of view in hairdressing, and second to show North America what young hairdressers can do with hair…we can inspire people, too!

BTC: Who has mentored you along the way to get to where you are? What advice did he/she/they provide that has stuck with you? Julián: My best friend and super hair star Leonel Rodriguez. He gave me the foundation to make my dream come true. He always says that we have to go beyond our limits to create our art and, if needed, defy gravity with the best we have—the greatest technology from CHI tools and products.

BTC: Tell us about your NAHA collections. What inspired you to create them?Julián: I wanted to enter to NAHA to show the world my art. My inspiration for my Avant Garde collection was taken from my homeland—Jalisco, México; the land of beautiful women, beautiful lakes, and landscapes. With the updos I wanted to create feminine styles that defied gravity gracefully and with soft movement. For the Texture category, I wanted to show natural hair with different sizes of curls and shapes. I let the hair be the main element while using the black and white of the news paper as backdrop and clothes.

BTC: Can you technically walk us through the process for each collection—how did the looks come to life?Julián: For Avant Garde, I first prepped the hair extensions using my CHI Iron and my Biosilk Spritz Spray to give each hair extension the shape of a leaf. After that, I created three different large classic chignons on the models. After creating the chignons, I started to attach the hairpieces in the chignon and created movement with the CHI Iron. For texture, I used my CHI Orbits with Infra Texture Hairspray and curled the models’ hair. For one look, I created a twist on the top of the head and the remainder of the hair was curled and teased. For another look, I used the smallest Orbit and made a Mohawk to one side, leaving some curls softer and others frizzier. For my third look, I created a ponytail and curled the hair. With the hair on the top of the head, I created the shape using CHI Magnified Volume XF hairspray.

BTC: What about this whole process has surprised you? Julián: First, just to be nominated! Plus, all the attention the media and the industry as a whole is giving to my art...it’s bigger than I ever could have imagined!

BTC: What advice would you give to other young stylists considering entering a hair competition like NAHA?Julián: Go for it! Like Walt Disney said, if you can imagine it, you can create it. Work always with passion and love, create partnerships with other great artists, always work with quality and go beyond your limits. Amazing results require incredible work and creativity. It’s the time for young hairdressers to inspire the world just like when, 26 years ago, a man with red boots started to make a big change in our industry!